Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Ellis.
Hi Lauren , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I always loved baking as a kid. I even went to baking and pastry camp at a college in Chicago when I was a teenager. Baking is like being a wacky scientist. You get to make all these delicious treats using science.
To further my education I went to The Culinary Institute of America in New York, where I graduated with my bachelor degree. From there I went on to work in such cities like New York to Sydney, Australia. Working from fine dining restaurants to bakeries.
I came back home in 2020 to Detroit to start my business, Walter Pat’s Bakery Cafe. Didn’t know the world would shut down. That just gave us an opportunity to recipe test more recipes and do pastry boxes for friends and family. In the summer of 2021 we launched Walter Pat’s at a local farmers market. Since then we have become the only black woman owned bakery specializing in viennoiseries, such as croissants and danishes, in the city of Detroit.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Some struggles to get to this point has been finding funding to help grow the business as well as the price of produce and specialty products. The price of eggs, chocolate, and vanilla have become so outrageous. Customers sometimes don’t realize why a certain product cost the way it does. We are making pastries with quality ingredients and that’s a big reason why they taste so good.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Walter Pat’s Bakery Cafe is a small batch seasonally driven black woman owned bakery, specializing in viennoiseries. Viennoiseries are the French word for a yeast leavened pastry, typically layered with butter. For example a croissant or danish. We are the only black woman owned bakery specializing in such items in the city of Detroit. Walter Pat’s sell sweet and savory pastries. We strive to showcase unique, high quality pastries all while using Michigan’s seasonal produce. We just won a 100k business grant from the 2025 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contests by TechTown to open our brick and mortar. We can’t wait to bring you all more pastry options and a place to sit and enjoy them.
How do you think about happiness?
Food, travel, family and friends make me happy. I love to travel, I’ve been to 17 countries so far and still counting. Trying new restaurants or new recipes are the best. Chefs are artists. They make magical delicious art. I love supporting other food establishments. Spending time with family and friends is very important to me. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the love and support from them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Walterpats.com
- Instagram: @walterpatsdetroit
